On October 21st, 2013, representatives from WHO and ChildFund Timor-Leste paid a visit to an innovative, nutrition project run by the Carmelite Sisters in Liquica district. Spearheaded by Sister Filomena da Costa, three programmes are being implemented in the rural villages of Ediri, Kulau and Raime. A women’s group has been established with the objective of promoting positive family health practices. A medical outreach clinic is being conducted, and a weekly nutrition programme is taking place.
The nutrition programme was of particular interest to the World Health Organization (WHO) and ChildFund because of its use of a highly nutritious, locally produced supplement sourced from the moringa plant. Moringa, or ‘marungi’ as it is known in the local language Tetun, is gaining international recognition as an important nutritional and economic resource for developing countries. The moringa plant is notable for its high nutritional value, with research indicating that moringa leaves contain more vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more vitamin C than oranges, and as much protein as an egg.
Since August 2013, the Carmelite Sisters, in collaboration with a network of community health volunteers and the Chefe Aldeia (local community leader), have been implementing a feeding programme in Ediri. A meal comprising rice and one tablespoon of a nutritional supplement containing dried moringa leaves is served to 46 children and vulnerable mothers. Additionally, each mother is provided with sufficient quantities of the nutritional supplement to sustain her household for the remainder of the week.
Additionally, Sr. Filomena and the volunteers provide counselling on nutrition and health checks. In order to monitor the children’s progress over the course of the pilot programme, their growth measurements are recorded. Ilda Alves Correa, a community health volunteer, states that malnutrition is a significant issue among children in Liquica. The most recent data from the Demographic Health Survey 2009/2010 indicates that Timor-Leste has a markedly high prevalence rate of malnutrition. A total of 58% of children under the age of five are stunted, 45% are underweight, and 19% experience wasting.
Sister Filomena elucidated the genesis of this community project to Dr. Jorge Mario Luna, WHO Representative to Timor-Leste, and Mr. Daniel Anson, Health Advisor for ChildFund. The concept of utilising moringa as a nutritional supplement was initially introduced by Sr. Joan Westblade, an Australian nun from the Mary MacKillop Mission, to the Carmelite Sisters in Liquica. Since 2010, the Carmelite Sisters have been engaged in the production of moringa-based nutritional supplements.
A number of training sessions have been conducted on the cultivation, harvesting and cooking of moringa. Each week, Sr.
Filomena and two volunteers are responsible for preparing the nutritional supplement for the programme. Moringa is combined with five green leafy vegetables, rice, milk powder, peanuts, salt and sugar, and then fried. The resulting mixture is designated as ‘Guru Guru Gizah’ (savoury nutritional supplement) and is incorporated into the meal of rice. The pilot project incurs an approximate cost of $100 per week, with funding provided by the Mary MacKillop Sisters, based in Dili. Should the programme prove successful, there is potential for its expansion to other areas of Liquica in the future. Furthermore, the project can be sustained by the community itself, as moringa is a plant that grows in many of the community members’ gardens.
As international media begin to promote moringa as a new “superfood”, this readily available food source could become a greater focus for international organisations, non-governmental organisations, community groups and the people of Timor-Leste.
The extensive range of nutritional benefits associated with the moringa plant renders it an ideal candidate for the epithet of “miracle tree” and “superfood.” Should moringa prove capable of making a modest contribution to the alleviation of the pervasive issues of malnutrition and food insecurity in Timor-Leste, it would be well-positioned to justify both of these ambitious titles.